A report by Pontoon, an Adecco Group division that provides MSP and RPO solutions, found that 70% of executive at 150 companies in a global survey believe their organisations are either not capable at all, or are only partially capable, of delivering “future-ready” talent. The survey also found that 60% of organisations believe their talent strategy isn’t aligned with, or is only partially aligned with, business objectives.

Pontoon President Corinne Ripoche Van Hecke said access to the right talent is one of the biggest threats, but taking a “total talent” approach will help solve some challenges and deliver a talent strategy that is aligned with business needs.

“Total talent is the future, the future of the market and the future of our clients,” Van Hecke said. “A transformation of the recruitment industry is currently taking place. Many believe that the ‘safe’ bet is to stay the course, but there’s nothing safe about falling behind with talent. Total talent blends insight, talent pooling, multichannel talent acquisition and technology to help organizations get full visibility into the talent market instead of being limited by channels or talent type.”

When survey respondents were asked what is holding companies back now from implementing an integrated approach to talent acquisition, 49% cited complexity or overcoming organisational inertia. Internal silos followed at 40%; in many organizations HR and talent acquisition run the permanent recruiting function while procurement is responsible for contingent staffing. Technology ranked as the third biggest barrier, cited by 27% of survey participants.

The report did find signs of progress ahead as 55% or organisations are currently or likely to implement integrated solutions in the next five years, according to Pontoon.

The Global Workforce Solutions survey included 150 professionals, of which 56% are in senior management. Forty-nine percent of participants are from North America; 25% from Asia-Pacific; 21% from Europe, the Middle East and Africa; and 7% from Latin and South America.